Information relating to the purposes below will be retained in line with the Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care 2016.

NWAS provides NHS care and treatment for people living in the North West and as a trust we:

  • Receive and respond to 999 calls from members of the public
  • Receive and respond to 111 calls from members of the public
  • Receive and respond to requests received through the NHS 111 Online service
  • Respond to urgent calls from healthcare professionals, for example, GPs

We aim to provide the highest quality care and in order to do this we must keep records about you and the care we provide for you. Health records are held on paper and electronically. We have a legal duty to keep these confidential, accurate, and secure at all times in line with data protection legislation.

When you use our services, information about the care you receive is recorded in your health record. This information is required to make sure that we give you the best possible care and treatment.

Advice and guidance is provided to care providers to ensure that adult and children’s safeguarding matters are managed appropriately. Access to identifiable information will be shared in some limited circumstances where it’s legally required for the safety of the individuals concerned.

NWAS work with provider and commissioning organisations to ensure effective governance and to learn from Serious Incidents. The Francis Report (February 2013) emphasises that providers have a responsibility for ensuring the quality of health services provided.

Information collected about you to deliver your healthcare may also be used to assist with:
• Making sure your care is of a high standard
• Reporting and investigation of complaints, claims, and untoward incidents
• Reporting events to the appropriate authorities when we are required to do so by law
• Testing / implementing new systems or processes. In such instances we will ensure that anonymised or minimal information is used
• Assessing your condition against a set of risk criteria to ensure you are receiving the best possible care
• Helping train staff and support research
• Using statistical information to look after the health and wellbeing of the general public and planning services to meet the needs of the population
• Preparing statistics on our performance to the Department of Health and other regulatory bodies
• Supporting the funding of your care